| Robert McGowan was in
the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, and prior to the Second World War had
been the Assistant Scout Master in the village. His parents lived in Great
Hallingbury which lies between Bishops Stortford and Harlow. As this is a long
way to commute to Margaretting it is safe to assume that as he had close ties
to the village that he was indeed living there. In the 1930s being assistant
scout master involved working with the boys in all sorts of activities,
including tracking, survival skills and adherence to discipline. In the Second
World War Robert, who was a Flying Officer, was attached to 70 Squadron. This
was an early RAF squadron, having been formed in April 1916 and saw action
across the Western Front as a fighter squadron. In between the wars its prime
function as a unit developed into bombers and transport. By 1940 the squadron
was using Wellingtons and was in the Mediterranean/North Africa theatre of the
war. When Sicily was invaded the squadron began flying into Italy and working
their way northwards. They were part of some of the bloodiest battles that
occurred, Salerno, Anzio |
 |
| and Nettuno, Gustav
Line, and the Gothic Line, completing bombing and transport sorties. They were
following the line of the German retreat as they went northwards. It was on one
of these sorties that Robert was killed, he was 29 years old. He was buried in
Ancona war cemetery, a place where after the war many bodies were brought in
from other places. |
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